Sheri A. Mullikin is an adoptive mother and experienced Maryland adoption attorney and estate planning lawyer who has practiced law in Maryland since 1999. Her offices are conveniently located in central Maryland, in the town of Mt. Airy, which is also known as the four county area because it is located in Carroll, Frederick, Howard, and Montgomery counties.

The adoption process can be stressful and emotionally overwhelming at times for all of the parties involved, particularly because decisions made will forever impact the future of all involved. It is important that your adoption attorney understands your concerns and has the ability to guide you skillfully through the adoption process. Sheri not only has years of legal experience as a Maryland adoption attorney representing adoptive parents, birth parents, children, and even a private Maryland adoption agency, but she also knows what it is like to sit on both sides of the table -- as a potential adoptive mom and as an adoption attorney. She has experienced first-hand the joys and devastation that many adoptive parents go through in trying to build their families. She knows what it feels like to put your hopes and dreams in someone else’s hands and to become part of a process that is often out of your control. That personal connection provides Sheri with a unique perspective and fuels her passion for her work, making her a zealous advocate for her clients.

If you are a hopeful adoptive parent just starting out on your adoption journey, Sheri will explore all of your options with you, from adoptions through the foster care system, private adoption, or an adoption agency, to international adoptions. Sheri is committed to providing you with all of the information you will need to enable you to make the best decision for your growing family. If you choose to proceed with an international or domestic adoption through an adoption agency, Sheri can refer you to reputable agencies, assist you during the process, and help you with finalizing the adoption in Maryland, if needed. If, instead, you decide to pursue a private adoption, Sheri will provide you with information to help you locate an expectant or birth family interested in placing a child for adoption and will guide you through every step of the adoption process.

If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy or are thinking about placing your child with another family to raise as their own, as your adoption attorney, Sheri will help you explore your options, including adoption. Sheri will explain your legal rights to you should you choose to make an adoption plan, which may include the right to reimbursement for adoption counseling, legal representation, medical expenses related to the pregnancy and birth, and certain living and transportation expenses. Sheri will also do everything possible to ensure that your rights are protected, including your right to a post-adoption contact agreement with the prospective adoptive parents, entitling you to contact with them and child after the adoption is finalized.

Sheri is committed to providing personalized, client-centered representation. Whether you are looking to adopt or are considering placing your child for adoption, Sheri will do everything possible to make herself available 24 hours a day, everyday, to assist your needs. If you would like to learn more about adoption in Maryland, contact Sheri today for a free consultation.

As an accomplished estate planning attorney,Sheri can also help you make an estate plan to provide for your loved ones on your death or should you become incapacitated, by helping you develop a comprehensive estate plan including a will, trust, advance directive or living will, and a power of attorney. A sound estate plan will protect your loved ones because you can designate guardians for your minor children, establish trusts for the benefit of your children, and ensure that special gifts to friends, other relatives, or favorite charities are completed upon your death. An estate plan is also an important tool to preserve your assets through the use of marital or other trusts to minimize death and estate taxes or to avoid probate. She has been assisting individuals and couples throughout Maryland to complete their estate plans since 2008. Contact Maryland Estate Planning Attorney, Sheri A. Mullikin today for more information and to obtain an estate planning questionnaire to begin the process.